My Definition of the American Dream Essay

We all have seen the magazines, ads, and commercials displaying the typical American family. We see a mom, dad, two kids and the pet dog, which is usually a lab mix. In the background there’s the beautiful house and the white picket fence. Everyone looks happy and satisfied with life. My definition of the American Dream is just that. I feel as though the main goal is to make it to a certain point in life where you don’t have to worry about your next meal or where you’re going to sleep at night. You’re able to afford the things you need and the things you want.

You’re able to go to college, if you want, and get a degree in a field where you’re able to get a good job. You get married, have kids, raise them so that they can have the same life you have or better, grow old, and die. If possible, giving back to the community is essential. This helps others to achieve the American Dream as well. Everyone has different goals in life but the main focus is that people want change for the better. To move up in life. Me personally, I wasn’t fed with the silver spoon. I wasn’t struggling either, but there were hard times where my parents had to cut back on spending and my sisters and I couldn’t get all the things we wanted. My parents constantly stressed over bills. When my father got laid off, that made things even worse. We ended up having to move out of our house into a small apartment that we could afford.

Issues came up so much between my parents that they ended up getting a divorce. This split the finances tremendoudly and caused for us to struggle even more. Neither one of my parents went to college. My mother had my sister at a young age which caused for her and my dad to grow up quickly. My mother did her best to make sure I got everything I needed. She always told me that she wanted my life to turn out better than hers. , In “Is The American Dream Over’ Cal Thomas talks about how the American Dream is basically “building a life based on the foundational principles that created and have sustained America for more than 200 years. By doing so, one might reasonably expect a new generation to achieve a better life than their parents and grandparents experienced.” I definitely agree with this statement.

I feel as though everyone has the opportunity to to achieve the dream because America has changed so much over the years and there are so many oppurtunities to grab. Now that slavery is over and everyone is treated equally, I feel as if there is no excuse for anyone to make it in life. Considering the fact that our parents and grandparents have lived in a different time where things were a little different, maybe they didn’t have the same oppurtunities to go to school, get an education, get a good job, etc. Because of this, parents strive to make sure that their children have a better life, because they want to see their off spring have the dream.

In Bob Herbert’s “hiding From Reality”, he talks about all the things that is keeping americans from achieving the dream. He tells how jobs are slowly decreasing and people are getting laid off. He also talks about how the government is basically giving more money to the wealthy insteasd of helping out the ones in need. This ties into my idea of the American dream because I feel as though the wealthy should give back to the communities and charity so others can have the opportunity to do better and life. Some people just need a helping hand financially.

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